HINTS FROM HELOISE

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Sound Off is about the details:

DEAR HELOISE:

A couple of days ago I received my credit card statement and found there were charges on the statement that neither my wife nor I had made. It was from another country, for furniture. The amount was over $500. If I had not gone over my statement I might have paid the bill and been out $500.

My mother-in-law received a statement from a lab concerning a blood test she was supposed to have had done. They were asking her for $1,300. The problem was that she had not had any blood drawn and never heard of the lab.

If your readers get bank statements or statements of any kind, it’s important to look over each one carefully. Apparently this is another scam attempt to cheat people, especially the elderly, because the scammers think we won’t remember what we bought or what medical procedures were done. I had to change my passwords and make a few other adjustments, but it’s worth it to keep scammers from getting my information. —James L., Baton Rouge, Louisiana

JAMES, YES, it is very important to check our monthly statements for errors. I make a habit of checking mine regularly and have found only a couple of errors. Still, scammers often start out with small charges and then get greedy and start charging large amounts. It’s better to catch them early by checking your statements every month.

T— Heloise

FAST FACTS

There are several uses for clothespins:

≤ Use them to keep drapes closed in hotel rooms.

≤ Fasten a garbage bag to a lawn chair when doing yardwork to hold trash.

≤ To hold coupons together.

≤ To hold your bills together.

WANT TO KNOW my recipes? Order my pamphlet Heloise’s Main Dishes and More. Send $3 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (65 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Main Dishes, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001.

DEAR HELOISE: I purchased a used car from a dealer. Evidently they used the wax cycle when they ran it through the car wash so the outside of the car would look good. Well, it has wax on the back glass window, and it will not come off with regular window cleaner.

What do I do to remove this film?

— Berta Y., Dayton, Ohio

BERTA, ONE OF the ways to remove that wax is to use a cola (any kind will do). First pour the cola on a clean rag (do not spill any on your auto paint) and, in a circular motion, clean the window, followed by a soap and water washing of the window.

Another suggestion is nail polish remover. However, you would need to be extra careful not to spill any on your car’s paint job.

— Heloise DEAR HELOISE: I lost my cellphone at a movie theater. I thought I’d have to replace it, but a couple of days later my cellphone arrived in the mail. I had put an address label on the back of my phone, and the person who found it mailed it back to me. There was a note, but no name with my phone. If I knew who sent it, I’d have mailed a reward to them.

— Francine J., Fort Wayne, Indiana FRANCINE, THAT’S WONDERFUL! Honesty deserves a reward. What a shame the person who found your phone didn’t include their name and address.

— Heloise SEND A MONEY-SAVING or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 782795000, or you can fax it to 1-210HELOISE or email it to Heloise@ Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.